


Disenchanted

by ellaphunt19



Series: Coffee Beats [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, aka the rest of the umbrella academy, and music sales associate!vanya, as they interact in a chaotic cafe, please enjoy the adventures of barista!five, thanks to five's coworkers, they're 20-year-olds with summer jobs near their college
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:15:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26545084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellaphunt19/pseuds/ellaphunt19
Summary: Vanya’s new job at the music store isn’t all that it’s cut out to be. Luckily, she finds refuge at an umbrella themed coffee shop during her lunch break.-“I was appreciating the music,” she defended half-heartedly, biting the inside of her cheek.The barista raised a brow and snorted, unconvinced. “Of course, it’s much better to enjoy music in the fetal position.”
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy/Vanya Hargreeves
Series: Coffee Beats [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930321
Comments: 30
Kudos: 159





	Disenchanted

**Author's Note:**

  * For [263Adder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/263Adder/gifts).



> The fluff queen herself - your Fiveya stories sucked me into this ship and have continued to bring so much joy in my life. Thank you for bringing me into the fandom and discord community. <3
> 
> Special thanks to [sanktaleksander](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanktaleksander/pseuds/sanktaleksander), [SacheChan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sache_Chan), and [Blackat14](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blackat14/pseuds/Blackat14) for being the beta readers of this work. I appreciate you all! :)
> 
> The title for this work is from MCR’s The Black Parade album.

Vanya thought the idea of working at a music store would be an enjoyable experience. In the search for a summer job near her university, she discovered an online advertisement that the small, family-owned music store she had frequented in her first year of college was looking to hire a new associate. 

From what she could remember, the store was welcoming to all music enthusiasts. Vanya enjoyed the personal touch that the store provided whenever she was looking to buy new CDs to add to her collection. She fantasized the idea of gushing about music with potential customers and offering some of her own recommendations. 

Her expectations dissipated as soon as she had her first shift.

As she approached the shop, she was overwhelmed by the flood of music that washed over her ears. It wasn’t the _type_ of music playing that bothered her, but the fact that the speakers were turned up to their maximum volume. 

Today, Vanya discovered she had sensitive hearing. Then again, having to endure the speakers blasting for hours would make _anyone_ go crazy. 

Except for the new owner, Leonard. His father passed the business down to him a few months ago. 

When she asked if there was any way to lower the volume, he denied her request. Apparently, Leonard had done extensive research that blasting the music was an effective marketing strategy and had decided to implement the change last month. 

“It really brings out the ambiance and attracts the customers,” he reasoned, completely unfazed by the noise as he used his keys to tear open a box of what looked like a new shipment of records.

On second thought, maybe Leonard was already insane. 

Once Leonard gave Vanya the go-ahead to take her lunch break, she quickly headed out of the shop, sighing in relief as the door swung shut behind her. Her ears were still ringing as she looked around potential places to go. Anywhere but the store would be a safe haven at this point. 

Her eyes landed on the black umbrella logo across the street. 

As soon as Vanya stepped foot into the cafe, she was greeted with the pleasant smell of coffee grounds and pastries. The shop was relatively cozy in size, and there didn’t seem to be as many customers as one would expect during this hour, but she suspected it was due to the amount of students back home for the summer. She noticed the interior filled with umbrella themed memorabilia and a small stage propped at the corner of the shop. A soft smile appeared on her lips, appreciating how the walls of the cafe were adorned with colorful varieties of umbrella prints scattered around in an indiscriminate pattern.

Waiting in line, Vanya listened to the soft music playing in the background as she listlessly scanned over the menu. Once she finished ordering her food, she stood to the side, deep in thought.

It was too soon to press Leonard about the volume, especially since she already asked once this morning. Today was her first day, and she still wanted to make a good impression. Vanya decided she would wait until she worked there long enough to bring up the myriad of improvements that could be implemented in the store. Maybe switching up the music track throughout the day to appeal to a wider audience - and ah, yes - did she mention convincing him to lower the damn volume to those speakers? That would be great. 

While she did engage with a handful of customers this morning that could back up Leonard’s claims of attracting attention, both parties had to raise their voices in order to avoid being drowned out by the speakers. That had to leave a negative impression on customers, right?

Thinking back, the store hadn’t been playing any music when she had her interview two weeks ago. Leonard had mentioned that the speakers were broken and needed some repairing that afternoon. She now understood _why_ it needed to be fixed in the first place.

It frustrated her that he had failed to disclose the expected noise level when she asked about any changes from the way his father ran the business; a part of her suspected that he intentionally didn’t want her to know about the din until she accepted the offer, but there was no way of actually proving that. 

But hey, work was work. She needed the money to save up for fall semester. With her audition for first chair at her university’s orchestra coming up in a couple of months, she would much rather prioritize violin practice over finding a new job. 

She was pulled out of her reverie once she heard her name being called. “For Vanya?”

Vanya was _clearly_ on autopilot when she ordered her meal earlier. She looked up at the man who called her name, and couldn’t help but acknowledge his handsome features as her brown eyes locked with green. She walked over to the cashier to retrieve her lunch, a shy smile escaping her lips, “That would be me.”

The barista returned the gesture with a nod as he placed her panini and mocha frappuccino onto a tray. Unexpectedly, he also handed her a brand new pack of earplugs, “I thought you might need these.”

Sweet heavens from above. Vanya’s brows furrowed as she looked up at the man with a mix of confusion and elation, “How did you—“

“I have really annoying coworkers, so I keep a stash for myself when they get too rowdy,” he explained as he dug through the cabinet from underneath the counter to bring up a box of earplugs, giving it a firm shake. “Seems like your store decided to loop the Black Parade album for today, huh?” 

Vanya nodded slowly, still caught off guard. Wearing the music store’s uniform was a given, and judging by how she can still hear the muffled sounds of “This is How I Disappear,” the barista must have put two and two together. 

Before she could thank him for the kind gesture, the man continued, “I also saw you crouching behind the counter while covering your ears this morning.” There was a hint of mischief gleaming in his eyes, “You _do_ realize that people can still see you from outside, right?” 

Vanya flushed as her mouth slightly parted from shock. She turned around and sure enough, there was a clear view of where she crouched down from the barista’s perspective. 

She was fully aware that the front of her store was covered in glass windows. There was a brief moment of weakness that morning when Vanya decided to be dramatic about her pounding ears while Leonard left for a quick errand. She made sure there were no customers in sight, but she didn’t account for a barista from _across the street_ to notice her agony.

“I was appreciating the music,” she defended half-heartedly, biting the inside of her cheek.

The barista raised a brow and snorted, unconvinced. “Of course, it’s much better to enjoy music in the fetal position.”

Without skipping a beat, Vanya shrugged, “What can I say? You have to fully embrace the angst that is My Chemical Romance.” 

“Gerard Way would be proud.” An amused smirk appeared on the barista’s face, to which Vanya responded with a smile. She took a moment to admire the cute dimple that formed from his smug reaction. 

Suffice to say, he was her type.

It was then that a loud bang was heard behind the kitchen door of the cafe, followed by a high-pitched yelp, ”Christ on a cracker!”

“Klaus, what the hell did you do?!” Another voice exclaimed in annoyance.

“Hey, don’t get mad at me, Diego. It was _Ben’s_ idea.” 

“Oh no, don’t drag me into this,” a different voice, who she presumed was Ben, argued. 

Vanya chuckled at how quickly the barista’s smirk was replaced by a sudden scowl. “I take it that those are your annoying coworkers?”

The barista sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “The very same. Anyway, enjoy your lunch. I need to take care of,” his jaw clenched, “whatever it is.”

Vanya mused how he could cut glass with that jawline. 

“Good luck with that. And, thanks for the earplugs,” she quickly glanced down at his name tag, before making eye contact again, “Five.” What a unique name.

“Don’t mention it, Vanya.”

They exchanged smiles once more, before she watched Five push open the back door leading to the kitchen.

Curiosity gnawing at her, Vanya lingered at the counter a moment longer, only to hear, “You _idiots_. How the hell did you manage to get coffee on the ceiling? Clean this up before Luther and Allison come back from their break." 

“It’s just a little mess! No need to get your little panties in a bunch, Five.” Judging by the voices from earlier, she could tell this was the culprit of the bang, Klaus.

Vanya suppressed a laugh. While she wasn't used to such a chaotic atmosphere in a cafe, she found it surprisingly endearing. She pocketed the earplugs and settled her tray at a nearby table, taking a bite of her panini. 

Maybe her job wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> If you’re interested in reading more fluff between Five and Vanya in this universe and timeline, feel free to subscribe to my series, “Coffee Beats.” I have some moments in store for these two that I look forward to writing.
> 
> Also, I sprinkled a couple of Klaus’ lines from the tv series - it felt fitting to insert them in this story.


End file.
